Back to Back races

Great weekend! We were busy...

Friday afternoon looked at homes in Northfield. We found one we're interested in, so that's fun!

Saturday we headed down to good ol' Gustavus for the annual CC alumni meet. I was pretty nervous going down there. Normally that's not the case (normally I know what I'm capable of, confident I can "wear down" other runners during the later part of the race, etc). I warmed up with Laura -- wow, she looks great -- she looks really fit and she's had a great summer of training. Needless to say, I was a little intimidated and was planning just to try to stick with her as long as I could.

Guess I'm stronger/more fit than I thought -- I was able to hang with her for the first mile and pull away the 2nd and 3rd. I felt awful; I've done no VO2 max work, and I can tell. My lungs didn't know how to handle 5:50 pace! I thought during the race: bummer, my training isn't really coming around yet. Wonder how much longer it'll take before I really feel fast and strong? I finished in 18:20, which is a solid time, but not anything great.

Sunday we woke up early for Woodbury's Country Mile 1/2 marathon. Oh man... operating on very little sleep :(. I decided to jump into the "race" to be able to do my long run workout with people -- I was supposed to do a 2 mile WU, then 15 at MP, then 2 CD. The thought of doing that alone...

The gun went off and during the first mile I felt myself smiling to myself. Ahhh! What a great feeling! THIS is what I'm trained for!! (as opposed to yesterday's "oh no" feeling during the first mile) Marathon pace felt really effortless, and continued to feel that way until the last mile to mile and a half. I hit my mile splits consistently (6:30s) until the 2nd to last mile which was a continual up and up (actually, the whole course was pretty rolling) -- I finished in 1:25.25, and felt great the entire time.

What a confidence booster! I really needed that, especially after struggling to a 18:20 on Saturday.

Now... set for a mid-80 week this week. Should be fun!!

Nichole Porath

Nichole is a blogger, elite level runner, and coach. She ran professionally for Brooks for two years after qualifying for the 2012 US Olympic Marathon Trials. During that time she founded TNC endurance, where she coaches and motivationally speaks to organizations large and small. This blog details her rise to national-level racing, and continues to follow her as she gets back into racing after starting a family. Read on, friends!

No comments:

Post a Comment

Welcome!

I'm a runner, '12 Olympic Trials Qualifier, Team Nichole Coaching (TNC) owner and coach, former World Record holder in the indoor marathon, wife and mom. I am passionate about finding my potential as a runner and helping others do the same! Inspired by fitness, healthy eating, organization, family adventures, and sewing projects. Run along with me, friends!